Abstract
Agricultural crops and their wild progenitors are excellent candidates for ecophysiologal research because germplasm collections are often extensive and well described, and in its dissemination the crop may explore new habitats. The advent of high-resolution climate models has greatly improved our capacity to characterise plant habitats, and study species’ adaptive responses. The yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus) is ideal because it evolved as a Mediterranean winter-annual in relatively high-rainfall coastal regions, but was domesticated as a summer crop in temperate central Europe. Currently the crop is being developed for Mediterranean south-western Australia, raising an interesting ecophysiological problem: is it more appropriate to concentrate on wild material from Mediterranean habitats, which are likely to be more similar to the target environments, or on European germplasm domesticated for temperate summer cropping? Lupinus luteus collection sites across the natural and domesticated distribution range were characterised by calculating site-specific bioclimatic variables and habitat types defined using multivariate analysis. Germplasm was evaluated in 2 field trials measuring a range of characters describing plant growth, phenology, architecture, and productivity. The earliest phenology and highest vigour and productivity were recorded in domesticated material from central Europe, characterised by short but unstressful growing seasons with reliable rainfall, long day-lengths, and rapidly rising vegetative-phase temperatures levelling out after flowering. Mediterranean habitats were classified by altitude, climate, and growing-season length. Early, productive germplasm came from warmer/low elevation sites with inconsistent rainfall and stronger terminal drought. Germplasm from low temperature/high elevation sites with high, relatively frequent rainfall had late phenology and low growth rates, early vigour, seed yield, and harvest index. Distinct habitats within the distribution range of L. luteus have selected for ecotypes with different phenologies and growth rates, which strongly influence plant architecture, fecundity and yield. It is suggested that variable responses to vernalisation and differences in seed size are important in determining these traits. European germplasm has many of the terminal drought-avoiding characteristics required in a productive Mediterranean ideotype, but may lack drought tolerance, which is likely to be under stronger selection pressure in more stressful Mediterranean habitats.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Central European domesticated germplasm had the earliest phenology and greatest vigour and productivity.
Verbatim
e0“The earliest phenology and highest vigour and productivity were recorded in domesticated material from central Europe”
t0“yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Mediterranean habitats differed by altitude, climate and growing season length.
Verbatim
e0“Mediterranean habitats were classified by altitude, climate, and growing-season length”
t0“yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Early productive germplasm came from warmer, low elevation sites with inconsistent rainfall and stronger terminal drought.
Verbatim
e0“Early, productive germplasm came from warmer/low elevation sites with inconsistent rainfall and stronger terminal drought”
t0“yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Germplasm from cool high elevation wet sites had late phenology and low growth, vigour, yield and harvest index.
Verbatim
e0“Germplasm from low temperature/high elevation sites with high, relatively frequent rainfall had late phenology and low growth rates, early vigour, seed yield, and harvest index”
t0“yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Distinct habitats selected ecotypes with different phenologies and growth rates.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“Distinct habitats within the distribution range of L. luteus have selected for ecotypes with different phenologies and growth rates”
t0“yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
European germplasm has terminal drought avoidance characteristics but may lack drought tolerance.
Verbatim
e0“European germplasm has many of the terminal drought-avoiding characteristics required in a productive Mediterranean ideotype, but may lack drought tolerance”
t0“yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.)”